Interlocking mold



[NTERLOCKING MOLD.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 14, 1917- 1,375,660. Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- KARL B. KILBOR-N, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR1'0 THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OFOHIO.

INTERLOGKING MOLD.

'1 '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, KARL B. KILBORN, a

,citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county ofSummit and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements inInterlocking Molds, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to vulcanizing molds of the general typeused in tire manufacture and constructed of complemental sectionsadapted to be mated for inclosing the tire to be vulcanized.

The commonly accepted practice of vulcanizing pneumatic vehicle tirescalls for the filling of a hydraulic press with a plurality of molds,each of which contains a tire to be cured. The molds are thensimultaneously compressed against a fixed head by the action of ahydraulic plunger unv til the complemental parts composing each mold areproperly and respectively mated to apply the required pressure to thecontained tires.

The use of the hydraulic apparatusfor obtaining the proper mating of themold parts is unduly eXpensive, for the apparatus is cumbersome,occupylng therefore an undue amount of 110101 space, and is also slow inoperation.

The principal object of the invention is therefore to provide a mold ofsuch construction that the expensive hydraulic apparatus may bedispensed with and to advantage by positively interlocking the matingmold parts in a manner and by means which assure a proper degree ofcompression of the contained tire carcasses.

Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide meanswhereby a degree of pressure between the mold parts may be varied atwillthrough adjustment of the means which interlock the mold parts.

In carrying out my invention I provide the mold parts at theirperipherally mating edges with a plurality of corresponding male lookingflanges of such nature that an axial mating of the mold parts in respectto the female locking members of an independent locking ring, whichinterlocks the two sets of flanges, serves to close the mold tightlyupon the article to be cured or vulcanized, without the need forapplication to the molds of further pressure means. The engagingsurfaces of the male and female Specification of Letters Patent.Patented Apr, 19, 1921; Application filed December 14, 1917. Serial No.207,121.

bodiment of the invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughoutthe several views of which similar reference numbers designatecorresponding parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective View, partly broken away, to more clearlyillustrate the relation between vthe mold parts and the locking ring,and illustrating the mold in a locked position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a. portion of a mold showing the mold vpartsproperly mated and inserted into the locking ring ring and Fig. 3 is aninside View of a portion of the locking ring illustrating a pair of thefemale members.

In all its main features, save only the locking'means interposed betweenthe opposite mold parts, the mold of my invention is constructed inaccordance with the present practice. The locking elements are arrangedat the periphery of each mold part and in such position that they areadapted to aline with each other when the mold parts are brought intotheir mated position.

The corresponding mold parts 10 are constructed with outstandingperipheral flanges or lugs 11 and 12 respectively, which, when the moldparts are correctly mated, are adapted to slide through thecorresponding recesses 13 in the locking ring 14 to the requiredosition, as will be more readily understoo The outer side walls-of thelugs 11 and 12 are inclined away from the plane of engaging faces of themold parts.

The locking ring 14 consists of a circular band constructed with aseries of equally spaced inwardly projecting lugs 15 and 16 whichcorrespond with the intervals or.

spaces between the lugs 11 of one mold part and 111 s 12 of the oppositemold part and form t e female members of the locking combination. Theopposing faces 17 and 18 of the corresponding lugs 15 and 16 are taperedor inclined away'from each other,

the object of which is apparent. When the mold parts are in theircorrectposition and the locking ring has been placed as shown in Fig. 2,a slight rotation of the locking ring in the direction of the arrow willcause the inclined shoulders 17 and 18 to engagethe oppositely inclinedfaces 19 and 20'of the lugs 11 and 12, thereby locking the mold partstogether.

It will be seen that the action of the faces 17 and 18 upon the faces 19and 20 in rotatin causes the mold parts to be drawn toget er and tobecome more firmly mated. A sufficient rotation of the ring will impartto the mold sections the requlred pressure usually derived from theaction of the hydraulic ram in the heater, as will be readilyunderstood.

To facilitate the handling of and to prevent the twisting or turnin' ofthe. mold parts in looking or unlocking, I provide some inwardlyprojecting lugs 21 and 22, provided with apertures 23, adapted toreceive a spike or pin to hold the mold parts in alinement.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that by constructing a moldof the character described I' have produced a mold that is .superior'tothe present type of molds used and have evolved a satisfactory answer tothe prevalent difliculties arising in this art 1 and traceable to theexpensive and unwieldly apparatus which was heretofore con sid'erednecessary to obtain a proper pressure upon the article to be vulcanizedwithin the mold.

' By using have elim1nated all possible conditions wherein the tirecarcass can be distorted,

an independent locking ring I aaraecc bruised or cut, usuallyexperienced in turning the complemental mold parts in, respect to eachother, in mating.

What I claim is:

1. A mold comprising complemental annular mold sections providing anannularmold chamber between them, means for holding the sections againstindependent turning movement and means cooperating with the sections andturnable about them for drawing the sections together and holding themin their drawn together relation.

2. A vulcanizing mold for tires consisting of separate annularcomplemental sections, the mating parts of which are provided withgrooves for thereception of a tire carcass, outwardly projecting lugs onthe periphery. of each of said sections, the lugs on one of the sectionsbeing adapted toengage and aline with the lugs on the other section whenthe sections aremated, and said lugs being provided with inclined facesopposite to the engaging faces of the lugs, a circular band providedwith spaces through which the alined lugs on the moldsections arepassed, and-with two rows ofi'inwardly projecting lugs, the lugs inone-row being in alinement withrthe lugs in the other row and adapted tofit in the spaces between the lugs on the mold sections, and said lugson the circular band being provided with in KARL B. KILBORN.

Witnesses i J. H wmTE, A, D. HARIENSTEIN.

